Three accused of counterfeiting

Friday

After a two month investigation, a joint investigation uncovered three men allegedly manufacturing and passing counterfeit $20 bills through Eastern North Carolina.

Updated at 6:39 p.m.

MAYSVILLE — Police say they have arrested three men, including a Camp Lejeune Marine who they say was the ringleader, in an operation that manufactured and passed counterfeit $20 bills in a three-state area.

“We’ve found them as far north as Cary and as far south as Georgia and Florida,” an officer with the Maysville Police Department said. He is not being identified because he frequently works undercover.

The alleged ringleader, Cpl. Andrew Campbell, a Marine at 8th Engineer Support Battalion on Camp Lejeune; and Zack Horne, 18, and Allan Simpson, 19, both of Maysville, are together facing a total of 54 felony charges and one misdemeanor. The charges include counterfeiting, obtaining false property, forgery and possession of schedule II narcotics, police said.

“They were scanning $20 bills, printing them off and cutting them out,” the undercover officer said.

Maysville Police said that the two-month collaborative investigation between their department and the Secret Service tracked around 1,000 phony bills. They say there could be more.

The fake bills were made using a lesser grade paper than what is used for legitimate paper currency.

Campbell, Horne and Simpson allegedly printed the bills, and then took them to small, local businesses, according to Maysville Police. They would wait until the business was busy, and then buy something small like a cup of coffee, receiving real money in exchange for the fake bill, investigators say.

Police say they were tipped off about the bills when they began surfacing in Maysville, Jacksonville, Swansboro and Garner.

“At first, we figured it was an isolated incident,” the officer said. “However, the next day, the bills came out again. We began actively looking. In a small town, you get to know things and hear things. People talk and, thankfully, they talk to us.”

Simpson and Horne were arrested on Thursday. Campbell is currently in the brig aboard Camp Lejeune on other charges.

“Once he gets out of the brig, he will be immediately handed to law enforcement officers to face his civilian charges,” the officer said.

Campbell was previously arrested in Jacksonville for trying to pass a fake $20 at a Burger King, according to Maysville Police.

Simpson posted a $44,000 secured bond, and Horne was still in jail on Friday night under a $48,000 secured bond.

Contact Daily News Reporter Tabitha Clark at 910-219-8454 or Tabitha.Clark@jdnews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @TabithaLClark or friend her on Facebook.

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MAYSVILLE — After a two month investigation, a joint investigation uncovered three men allegedly manufacturing and passing counterfeit $20 bills through Eastern North Carolina.

Maysville Police said that with a collaboration between their department and the Secret Service, they’ve found fake $20 bills passed all over Eastern North Carolina.

“We’ve found them as far north as Cary and as far south as Georgia and Florida,” an officer stated.

Police said the suspects printed around 1,000 bills that they have tracked. There could be more.

The trio, allegedly led by Cpl. Andrew Campbell, a Marine at 8th Engineer Support Battalion on Camp Lejeune, are facing a combined 54 felony charges and one misdemeanor. The charges include counterfeiting, obtaining false property, forgery and possession of Schedule II narcotics, police said.

The other two men charged are Zack Horne, 18, and Allan Simpson, 19, both of Maysville.

“They were scanning $20 bills, printing them off and cutting them out,” an officer said.

The counterfeit bills were made using a lesser grade paper than what is used for legitimate paper currency.

Campbell, Horne and Simpson allegedly printed the bills, and then took them to small, local businesses, according to Maysville Police. They would wait until the business was busy, and then buy something small like a cup of coffee, receiving real money in exchange for the fake bill.

The charges against the three will remain at the state level instead of going to federal court.

Simpson and Horne were arrested on Thursday. Campbell is currently in the brig at Camp Lejeune on other charges.

“Once he gets out of the brig, he will be immediately handed to law enforcement officers to face his civilian charges,” police said.

Campbell was previously arrested in Jacksonville for trying to pass a fake $20 at a Burger King, according to Maysville Police.

Simpson posted a $44,000 secured bond, and Horne is still in jail with a $48,000 secured bond.

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